Last month in upstate NY we were evaporating maple sap into syrup. One
evening we had some cooking in the evaporator, but it was getting late, so
we decided to shut down. The liquid, which was probably half-way to syrup,
was drawn off into some steel pails. Since the pails were steel and also
tapered, i.e. wider at the top than the bottom, we assumed any rodents
would be unable to get into them so left them uncovered on the floor. The
next morning when we returned to continue evaporating, a drowned mouse was
discovered in a half-full pail. Apparently it had climbed onto a nearby
work stand and dove into the syrup. I guess the mouse couldn’t resist the
sweets. Fortunately for us it chose the half-full pail. We decided not to
finish evaporating the liquid in that half-full pail which, in the end,
would probably have amounted to less than a pint of syrup. So, I suppose if
you have any maples in the area and don’t mind the work, you could set out
some maple syrup traps.

Regards,
Dick